Oat Milk Recipe

I’ve been using oat milk for years as a dairy alternative since I don’t drink cow milk. It’s my go-to for coffee, tea, and smoothies. In my garden, I grow oats both as a cover crop and for use in teas and tinctures, but I always have tons of extra seed leftover. I repurpose this surplus by making oat milk and oat flour.

Here’s how I make my own oat milk from scratch.

Growing Your Ingredients

Oats (Avena sativa)

Oats are really easy to grow, and they do well in zones 2-8. They like cooler weather, so I usually direct sow them in early April. They usually sprout within a week or two and flower in early June. By late June, I can harvest the milky oats for tinctures and oat straw for teas. The remaining oat seeds mature by late July to early August, depending on the weather. I save the mature oat seeds for next season’s crop and use the surplus for oat milk and oat bread.

Oats are a great cover crop for summer veggies like tomatoes and peppers. I crimp or cut down the oats about 2 weeks before I transplant the summer crops, which is around mid-May. Using oats as a cover crop in this way helps build soil health and suppresses weeds in my garden beds.

Overview of Oat Milk

In this recipe, whole oats (called groats) are soaked, then blended with water to create a creamy oat milk. The strained pulp can be dried and turned into oat flour. The fresh oat milk will last about 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Freeze any remaining milk before it expires.

Equipment Needed

• Fine mesh strainer
• Cheesecloth
• Bowl with a lid or cover
• High-powered blender

Ingredients

• Whole oats (groats) (1 cup)
• Water (4 cups plus more for soaking the groats)

Instructions Summary

1. Soak: Rinse groats under cool water to remove any debris. Add groats to a medium bowl and pour cool water over them until they are just covered. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let the groats soak for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Blend: Strain the groats and add them to a high-powered blender with 2 cups of water. Blend on high for about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of water and blend on high for another minute.
3. Strain: Strain the oat milk through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth.
4. Store: Pour the oat milk into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. The oat milk will last 3 to 5 days if stored properly. Shake it well before each use!

Tips

• Prevent spoilage: Keep all your tools and hands very clean to prevent contamination and early spoilage. Your fresh oat milk contains no preservatives, so it will spoil faster than store-bought.
• Sweetness and flavor: Blend in a Madjool date or tablespoon of honey to add sweetness to the oat milk. Other optional add-ins include 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
• Save the pulp: Dehydrate the leftover pulp and grind into oat flour to use in baked goods like oat bread. Use an oven set on the lowest temperature or a dehydrator to dry out the pulp.
• Freeze leftovers: Freeze unused milk in ice cube trays then store in a freezer bag. The ice cubes will last about 3 months if stored properly.